5 Ways to Unwind on the Gold Coast

If you’re looking for a getaway that combines luxe accommodation, panoramic landscapes and relaxation, Queensland’s the Gold Coast should be your first port of call. Conveniently located between the coastline and lush hinterland, the city is a haven for those seeking to recharge in. Here are the best ways to de-stress when you’re there.

Book yourself into beachside luxury

Feel your shoulders drop when you check into a five-star stay in the heart of Surfers Paradise. The JW Marriott Gold Coast features 215 luxurious rooms and 23 suites, each with floor-to-ceiling windows and views of either the Pacific Ocean or hinterland. The hotel’s walk-anywhere location sets it within 300 metres of Main Beach and a short stroll to cultural highlights like the Gold Coast’s Home of the Arts. Culinary classes, held at the resort’s Citrique restaurant, will teach you how to expertly prepare Moreton Bay Bugs, or if you’d rather it done for you, the chefs will whip up the signature dish while you enjoy a glass of bubbles. There’s also an epic pool and waterslide that the kids will love, complete with white sandy beaches, a swim-up grotto and waterfalls, or water activities, including snorkelling and fish-feeding, in the saltwater lagoon.

Taste an appreciation of our producers and farmers

The resort’s hatted-restaurant Citrique has partnered with seafood expert, Umar Nguyen (known as The Fish Girl) to create a six-course degustation that tells a story of locally sourced, sustainable produce, executed by executive chef Paul Smart and his team. The menu starts with a Rocky Point Aquaculture Cobia served with pepper sauce, caperberry, yuzu, sea bligh, shiso and blue campi caviar. Other dishes highlight Fraser Isle spanner crab, Raptis Banana Prawns, Grouper - farmed just a 30-minute drive from the restaurant - Wagyu and scampi, finishing up with JW Marriott’s signature Cherry Illusion dessert. 

Indulge in a sensory spa experience

Located within the JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa, the Spa by JW offers a menu featuring treatments such as the Ultra Soothing facial or Jet Lag Cure (which includes an essential oils massage) using skincare from Ultraceuticals and Aromatherapy Associates. If you really want to treat yourself, book a Sensory Spa Degustation, combining your selection of treatments with tea, a mimosa or mocktail and a rice paper roll. Elevate your entire experience with a visit to the spa’s traditional saunas, steam experience showers and tranquil relaxation pods.

Stretch your legs on a World Heritage-listed walk

Immerse yourself in nature on O’Reilly’s Tree Top Walk, an easy stroll connected by nine suspension bridges plotted through the World Heritage-listed hinterland. The walk, a 1.5-hour drive from the Gold Coast, takes approximately 60 minutes and finishes at a viewing deck, which soars 30 metres above the ground. For something more challenging, the Moran Falls track is a 4.4 kilometre trail (round trip) through prehistoric rainforest in Lamington National Park. Along the route, stop at Morans Falls lookout to see the water tumbling 80-metres into the gorge, before following the creek up to Moran’s Clearing lookout to take in the views of the Albert River Valley and beyond.

Kick back and sip on crafted cocktails

Pull up at JW Marriott’s chic Chapter & Verse lounge and bar, overlooking the hotel’s lagoon pool and gardens, and order a Champagne Cockatiel (a confection of Martell VSOP, orange bitters, kumquat syrup and Moet & Chandon Champagne) from a menu of expertly crafted cocktails. Food offerings are designed for long afternoons spent grazing (think natural oysters served with a chardonnay vinaigrette and Bangalow pork bao buns drizzled with truffle aioli). Celebrating something special? Book into the signature high tea to enjoy a variety of sweet and savoury dishes inspired by the resort’s tropical location. Or hire a poolside cabana, complete with cocktail service, a fruit platter and a meal of your choice.